1. Field of the Invention
The automation of gates began primarily as a safety and security matter, and railroad crossing gates were probably among the first to be automated.
The concept quickly emerged as a convenience, but because of the costs involved, was enjoyed primarily by the more affluent. With the advent of inexpensive electronics and infra red controls, automated gates have become available to virtually anyone who wanted them.
Gates, whether for safety, or security, or convenience are typically not space efficient. Whether single or split, every gate is at least as long as the distance between the gate posts. Whether the gate, or components thereof, swing out, or in, or are drawn back along a fence, an inordinate amount of space is required to swing between the open and closed positions, and when a gate is at rest in the open position, storage space is required, which is then simply not usable for any other purpose.
In most settings, there is space available for storage of an opened gate which is very seldom used, and that is the airspace above the gateway. While such space is readily available and clearly alleviates space problems, concerns regarding weight of the unit and safety for those passing under or through the plane of the gate have inhibited use of this valuable space. The present invention addresses these concerns and resolves them in a novel manner.
2. Overview of the Prior Art
Within the scope of the inquiry of automated gates, there are a multitude of combinations and permutations of electric and electro-mechanical devices which are representative of the prior art. Vollmer U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,585 is but one example of a hydraulic unit. Such gates may swing inwardly or outwardly, and many are withdrawn to the left or right, in the plane of the gate, typically by pulling with a chain so that the gate retracts on a track.
When the inquiry becomes more specific to gates which are moved in a vertical plane to achieve an open position, the quantum of prior art quickly recedes.
Already mentioned are railroad crossing gates, although such devices are .not truly gates, but rather light weight warning devices, which are readily, and frequently, violated.
A lift mechanism for railroad crossing gates is shown in Reinitz et. al U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,498. The Reinitz approach, however, provides for very limited movement and is incapable of handling any significant weight and, indeed, was never meant to handle weight. Unlike the present invention, Reinitz et. al, and those who follow the same design, inevitably require that the gate lifted be counterbalanced, and that is simply not necessary within the framework of the present invention.
To the extent that any vertical gate lift mechanism can be considered typical, it would be those gates mounted in vertical tracks and raised and lowered by chain, and such mechanism is far afield from that of the present invention.